Hand-foot Anthropometric Correlates of Stature among Undergraduate Medical Students: A Cross-sectional Study

Abstract

Background: Stature is an important anthropometric characteristic with applications in biological anthropology, clinical assessment, and forensic identification. When complete skeletal remains or an intact body are unavailable, measurements of peripheral body parts such as the hand and foot may provide useful information for estimating stature. However, anthropometric relationships are population-specific and may vary according to sex, age, geographical background, and body proportions. This study evaluated the relationship between hand and foot anthropometric parameters and stature among undergraduate medical students and explored sex-specific prediction models. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional observational study was designed among 240 undergraduate medical students aged 18–24 years. Stature, bilateral hand length, hand breadth, foot length, and foot breadth were measured using standardized anthropometric procedures. Pearson correlation analysis was performed to determine associations between anthropometric variables and stature. Independent-samples t-tests were used to compare measurements between male and female participants. Multiple linear regression models were developed to evaluate the predictive contribution of hand and foot measurements. Model performance was assessed using R2, adjusted R2 and standard error of estimate (SEE). Results: In this study, 120 males and 120 females were included. Mean stature was 170.64 ± 5.89 cm among males and 158.80 ± 5.93 cm among females. All measured hand and foot parameters demonstrated positive correlations with stature. Right foot length showed the strongest overall correlation with stature (r = 0.909), followed by left foot length (r = 0.908) and right hand length (r = 0.894). A combined model incorporating right hand length and right foot length explained 88.4% of the variance in stature in the overall simulated sample (adjusted R2 = 0.883; SEE = 2.73 cm). Conclusion: This study demonstrates that hand and foot anthropometric dimensions are positively associated with stature and that combined hand-foot measurements may provide better prediction than individual parameters. Population-specific and sex-specific regression equations may be useful in anthropometric and forensic applications.